To be able to just....be

As we near the end of February, I know my timing isn’t always the best, but I feel compelled to recognize February as American Heart Month. But as we approach the two year mark when my mom passed away from a stroke March 22, 2014, maybe my timing isn’t so far off after all.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her, miss her, talk to her still, and cry for her. She was my best friend and I always wanted to make her proud. Honestly no words can explain how I feel on a day to day basis. Some days I am at peace, some days the pain is still so raw I can barely stand it, some days I miss her so much that I feel I have to talk about her to keep me sane, and some days I feel numb. Some days I just want to curl in bed and cry myself to sleep and some days I don’t want to waste another moment, live life to the fullest embracing and cherishing my little family and everything this world has to offer. It's quite the roller coaster ride, but everyday I get up move on. 

I was talking with a client today about our weekend plans and when I told her “I don’t know what I’m going to do this weekend but it will be epic anyway!” She asked “what would make it so epic?”

I paused a bit thinking “well, being with my little family of course” but then I said out loud “to be able to just BE.” She knew exactly what I meant and shared a very touching, spiritual and personal moment with me that left me thinking of mom in the very same way of what she was describing to me.  It was an emotional moment for the both of us in different ways but yet the same.

So along with all of the details listed below of heart disease and ways to prevent it that we have all heard a million times,  I will have to add…What can you do for yourself and your family to just BE? To BE at peace, to BE in the moment, to BE in every way of your spirituality, to BE comfortable with yourself, to BE one with nature and the vastness of the world. Now, whether you take me for a blabbering hippy or someone who is truly focused on getting down to the why and what makes you get up in the morning, I guess that is only a matter of opinion, and I’ll take both as a compliment. But in all seriousness, what can you BE doing or even not doing in this moment to make your life extraordinary and less stressful?

I firmly believe Mindset Matters Most and stress plays a huge role in all the little behaviors we do, unconsciously or not, that lead up to these bigger risk factors. Mom was always under a lot of stress. She didn’t drink, but she did reach for “crunchy” food to calm her mind and many of the things listed below.

Ask yourself, when you’re under stress, do you:

• Eat to calm down?
• Speak and eat very fast?
• Drink alcohol or smoke?
• Rush around but do not get much done?
• Work too much?
• Procrastinate?
• Sleep too little, too much or both?
• Slow down?
• Try to do too many things at once?

 
 
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
You can make healthy changes to lower your risk of developing heart disease. Controlling and preventing risk factors is also important for people who already have heart disease. To lower your risk:

• Watch your weight.
• Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke.
• Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.
• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
• Get active and eat healthy.

As Jim Rohn says, “Stand guard at the door of your mind.”

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